


Who We Are Now

by nightsisterkaris



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Marriage, Memory Loss, Retirement, new life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 07:50:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15792222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightsisterkaris/pseuds/nightsisterkaris
Summary: Phil and Melinda want to retire. But to be safe, they have to have their SHIELD memories wiped to prevent PTSD or a kind of shell-shock from wounds that will never heal. But that means they have to say goodbye to the team. Permanently.But the team doesn't like that idea.





	Who We Are Now

"You're WHAT!?!" Daisy stood in shock. "I mean, its great that you're retiring, but you have to have your memories wiped?"

May sighed. 

"Not all our memories. Just our SHIELD memories." Phil explained.

"So you won't remember us?" Daisy protested.

"Once a SHIELD agent at our age has been through so much and wants to retire, there is a large chance of PTSD, a sort of shell-shock so to speak, from wounds that wont heal." Phil told her. "But in other words, yes."

"So if I were, so to say, bump into you at a coffee shop, you wouldn't recognize me?" Daisy was about to cry.

Phil nodded. "But I know I wouldn't dare get May coffee." He said. 

Daisy scrunched her eyes in confusion, then it dawned on her. Her eyes went wide and she pointed at May, then Coulson, then May again. "You two..."

"Yes, Daisy. We need you to forge up some documents for us, a house, and maybe jobs?" May suggested.

"You're getting married!" She realized. 

May looked down. "Well, when you're done and the procedure is finished, we will have BEEN married." 

"With no kids? That's not very convincing." Daisy said.

"But it's more convincing then us wondering what happened to our daughter." Phil told her. 

Daisy looked up, and actually cried. "Me?"

"Yes." May said. "Because the doctors suggested changing our memories into us raising you, but we didn't want to burden you with-"

"Omigosh I will do it! Are you two insane?" Daisy reached up and hugged them. "I'll be your daughter! I'll come for weekend dinners, I'll be there for your parties, I'll be there for you!" She was laughing, and May actually grinned into the hug.

"Though Im highly doubtful about parties." Coulson said.

"Wait. When are you retiring?" Daisy paused.

"This weekend." Coulson sighed. "Mel and I have been planning this for a month or more."

Daisy's mouth fell open. "A month? It's Wednesday!!!"

May nodded. "Now, you know that if we chose to remember you, you can't ever mention SHIELD, our former lives, or anything like that, right?"

"I know."

"Good girl, Director."

"WAIT WHAT?!?!"

-:x:-

They were moving to a nice house out in the country, with a large master bedroom, kitchen, and all the necessities.

They had set up the house that they would wake up to their new lives in a couple days, and Phil and Melinda had argued back and fourth about things that would seem natural to them later. A picture over there, a book over here, the utensils to the right of the sink or to the left. Little things.

"Well, this is it." Daisy sighed, shoving the rest of the papers in a folder in the drawer. "Your marriage contract from thirty years ago, my twenty-two year old adoption papers, the house papers, tax returns, all that stuff." She told them.

May reached out and hugged the girl. "In two days you'll be our daughter." May smiled.

"I know, but..."

"What's wrong Daisy?" Phil asked.

"You're leaving... I can't come to you when I need help. I can't rant about to annoying agents. I can't ask for sparring training..." Daisy broke down.

"Hey, I'll be a highschool history teacher. You can rant to me about annoying childrens whenever you want." Coulson offered.

"And I'll still have my combat training." May said. "But it will just be karate or something next week." May told her.

"thanks guys." Daisy was still bawling. "But.. what if something happens?"

"Then one simple procedure will give us our SHIELD memories back." Phil said.

"Okay then. Let's get you to hypothetically hitched." Daisy grinned evilly. "Photoshop, here i come."

-:x:-

"I still don't understand why you had to make us a photo album." May said as Daisy groggly handed them a thick binder.

"Because, well, look inside." Daisy said.

"We will later. Thank you, Director Daisy Johnson." Phil said, holding Melinda's hand.

Daisy started to cry again. Mack smiled, and patted them on the back. Yo-yo sent them a determined look. Fitz teared up. Jemma looked sad as she prepared to lead the doctors in changing her superiors memories. Bobbi and Hunter, who had been called back to say goodbye, nodded as they hugged the two.

"Well, I guess this is bye." Coulson said, watching Jemma give him an IV. Melinda winced slightly as she got one too. "We love you guys." 

"Bye, May. Bye Coulson." Daisy muttered.

"Well be fine, okay?" May said, and touched Daisy's cheek.

"I know... Mom."

May smiled, and the anastasia knocked them both out. Jemma nodded to the other doctors. The two superior agents were wheeled out. "Can I come with them?" Daisy asked Jemma.

Jemma paused. "That would be a bad idea." She said.

"Fine." Daisy wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Bye." She whispered.

-:x:-

"No, I think she would be more like this." Daisy rearranged May's arm back around Coulson's neck. "Come on Jem. They've been married fir thirty years now. I think-"

"-that maybe we should give Coulson his shirt back?" Jemma uncomfortably suggested.

"No. That they would be absolutely fine with waking up in the morning in each other's arms." Daisy rolled her eyes, pulling the sheets higher up over the two former agents.

"Well, the anastasia will wear off in several hours, so maybe we should just leave them?" Jemma idealized.

"Fine." Daisy yawned. It was the middle of the night. But before she left, Daisy nudged Coulson's hand back onto May. "Perfect." She grinned, then pulled out her phone. This was great. Taking a picture, Daisy finally left the room, pulling the shades down and shutting out the lights.

The team was still standing on the driveway, Mack having carried the two ex-agents up to their new room. Jemma and Daisy made one more round around the house, and Daisy straitened a few vintage Captin America comics books on a shelf, and Jemma set a throw pillow upright on the couch. Then froze, and burst out laughing. "Is that you, Daisy?"

"Shhhhhh! Yes! I photoshopped it!" Daisy answered. "I used some old pictures of them that we're in old SHIELD files!" She said. "And I went to college in their world now!" She whisper-yelled.

"You have tamato sause all over you." Jemma remarked at the picture.

"Shut up Jem." 

"Fine." Simmons nodded, and turned out the lamp. "Now, check off."

"Food in the kitchen?" Daisy prompted.

"Yes."

"Clothes?"

"Check."

"Laundry and office supplies that appears to have been used before?"

"Yup. Shampoo and towels?" Jemma asked.

Daisy was quiet. Shoot.

-:x:-

Melinda Coulson opened her eyes. She was terribly uncomfortable, the way she was propped up in her husband's arms. Ugh she just had the WIERDEST dream. She and Phil had been secret agents and had just saved the world from evil robots. Must have had something to do with the movie she and Phil had watched last night.

Pulling the sheets off herself, Melinda swiped her hair from her eyes and looked over at the framed pictures on the dresser. Her and Phil's wedding day. When they had adopted their daughter as a baby. Her highschool and college pictures. Her and Phil in Central Park, the Empire State Building on the horizon. 

Melinda's nightgown was soon changed to a pair of leggings and tee-shirt, as she returned to the bed. "Good morning." She kissed him. "Phil, baby, wake up."

Her husband groaned, and mumbled something about sleeping in.

"Come on. You can't be late to your application." Melinda warned.

"Huh. Where's Daisy?"

"In Atlanta for a conference, remember?"

"Oh yeah." He kissed her back, and pulled himself up. 

"You should sleep without a shirt more often." She said, leaving to go brush her teeth. 

"I had the craziest dream last night."

"So did I." She said, laughing as she walked into their anointing bathroom, but something was off. She cooked her head. "Hey honey, what happened to the towels?"

-:x:-

Daisy Julie Coulson. That's my name now. Daisy thought, walking down the street. She smiled as she saw the couple laughing in the corner of the coffee shop, one with tea, the other with coffee. "I still don't know how you drink that stuff." Melinda's lovely voice rang.

"I like it." Phil shrugged.

Daisy almost cried again. She rehearsed her lines, remembered what she was allowed to say and what she wasn't. "Hey Mom! Dad!" She grinned, walking over.

"Hey baby." Melinda said. "How's your new job going?"

"It's great mom. And my friend Jemma is great to." 

"No boyfriends for me to threaten yet?" Coulson asked.

"Dad!" Daisy sighed. This was really awkward. And hard.

"Here, get yourself something." May dug out a couple bills. 

"Thanks Mom." Daisy smiled. Walking over to the counter, she almost doubled over in laughter when she heard Coulson remark, "they just grow up so fast."

-:x:-

"Hi. My name is Leo Fitz." Fitz smiled. "I was told you were having trouble with your breaker box?" 

"Yes. My wife can't cook-" Coulson said, and May rolled her eyes from the couch. "And whenever she tries, she always blows a fuse." Phil explained. "But now it isn't working."

"Of course, sir." Fitz said, following his former boss through the house. He glanced around. So this was their domestic side. 

"I'm not very good with wiring, and I don't like having live wires around my prosthetic, so..." Coulson said, and Fitz could see the silver ring below his elbow. 

"May I inquire what happened?" Fitz asked, taking a look at the breaker box.

"Car crash. Pretty hazy memory though." Phil sighed. 

Fitz hummed, and pulled off a back panel. "Ah. There's your problem." He said. Flipping off the power throughout the house, he pointed out a wire where the rubber insulation had melted between two wires, and were shortcircuiting.

Pulling the warm wires apart, Fitz pulled out a small roll of electrical tape, and wound some around each wire. "That'll do it." He said.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Leo." Coulson said.

"Just call me Fitz. Everybody does." Leo said, smiling. "And that problem wasn't bad. Don't worry about any bill."

"But-"

"I said, don't worry." Fitz smiled at the older man. "And i believe that my work is done."

"Thank you again, Fitz."

-:x:-

"Hi I'm Mack. I'm subbing in for the other guy today." Mack introduced himself. He really was subbing for the owner of the autoparts and repair store owner. Daisy had just "helped" Mack get a day job there.

"Mr. Mack." Melinda nodded. "My husband waited to long to get to battery fixed, and now the car is dying on me all the time." She sighed.

"Just let me take a look. Where did you park your car?" He asked. (He knew which one it was. He'd picked it out himself)

"A couple spots from the door." May answered.

"Alright. Bring it on into the garage. I'll have it checked out and fixed in no time." Mack nodded.

-:x:-

"You what? No fair!!" Daisy pouted.

"What?" Jemma laughed.

"You got to eat Coulson's lasagna!"

"I was a volunteer judge at the Town fair. It was an easy pick, mind you." Jemma put her hands up in defence. 

"And you gave the vote that sent Coulson and May home with a blue ribbon." Daisy said. 

"He deserved it! The others were nasty." Jemma told her.

"So? You still got to eat it!" Daisy said.

"But you have every weekend at their house." Jemma reminded her.

"Humph."

-:x:-

"Hi. I'm Elena." The Latino woman introduced herself. May smiled at her, and said, "Melinda. Melinda Coulson." They shook hands, and Melinda swung a small bagoff her shoulder, and placed it in a cubby hole along with many other women's. 

"Is this your first time?" Melinda asked. "I'm the Tai Chi and self defence instructor."

It took at Elena's power not to say, 'i know'. So she settled with a "yes."

Melinda smiled, and told her, "well Elena, welcome."

"I signed up for the Tai chi class." Yo-Yo said.

"Lovely!" May smiled. Elena froze. Had Melinda May Coulson just said 'Lovely'?

-:x:-

Setting her Gym bag down on the couch, Melinda collapsed onto the soft cushions. Ah. Now only Phil needed to get home and she would be perfect. 

Spotting a black binder on the coffee table, Melinda smiled. The photo album.

Flipping through it, she saw pictures of herself and Phil kissing on their wedding day, thirty years younger, them at anniversaries, parties and dates, holding little baby Daisy, teaching her to walk, and playing in the water hose, and of course, birthdays. She saw Daisy's eigth grade graduation, and a picture of the girl Stuffing her face full of cake as Phil cried in the background. Her highschool prom, and her college pictures. 

May heard Phil's keys in the lock, and smiled. He opened the door, and smiled at her, kissing Melinda in greeting, and to remind her he loved her. "What're you doing?" He softly said, setting down his bag from work full of papers to grade later. 

Melinda smiled back, and slid the binder back onto the coffee/Tea table. 

"Just going through our memories, that's all."


End file.
